Nancy Drew: Worst of Blackmoor Manor
by Professor Snaglefoompus
Summary: Another Nancy Drew parody story, featuring an incompetent Nancy Drew who stumbles her way to success in solving the mystery behind Blackmoor Manor.
1. Opening Letter

Dear Ned,

Greetings from jolly old England! Only right now, I'm not too sure about the "jolly" part. That's because I was _supposed_ to be on a flight to Britain. I have no idea why the plane landed in the England, instead.

I'm here because of our neighbor, Mrs. Petrov. She's the one on corner, with those annoying small dogs who bark all the time. Apparently, her daughter Linda just married a British diplomat named Hugh Pennyvenny. Ever since then, Linda has become bedridden and grouchy. Mrs. Petrov wants me to find out why. I don't know all of the details yet, but I'm thinking of calling this "The Case of the Missing Aspirin".

Hugh's aunt, Mrs. Drake, is running the manor in his absence. The only other person living there is Hugh's twelve-year-old daughter, Jane. I'm told that Jane is obsessed with games. She once spent nine hours in a row, playing tic-tac-toe against her guinea pig. Mrs. Drake needs to get her some help.

So here I am, I'm about to be dropped at Blackmoor's black moor. I can't tell if the butterflies in my stomach are because I'm excited, or just a tad creeped out.

Talk to you soon (I hope),  
Nancy

PS. I don't know how I'll send you this letter. The lady at the post office said I had to pay in pounds, but I don't have any money which is heavy enough.


	2. Meeting Linda

"Good night, Miss! And good luck!" the man said, as he kicked Nancy out of his taxicab. "Try not to get eaten by the Blackmoor Beast!"

"Blackmoor say what now?" Nancy asked, but it was too late. The man drove away at a surprisingly high speed. Nancy shrugged, picked up her luggage, then walked down the short lane to the manor's front door.

"Nancy..." a voice growled as she reached the door. Startled, Nancy turned around, but she saw nothing.

"Hello? Is someone there?" Nancy asked.

A pair of angry red eyes appeared in the bushes, accompanied by another growl. Nancy shrieked "It's the Hound of the Baskervilles!" and smashed the door handle multiple times.

An elderly British woman answered the door. "Yes?"

_"There's a beast here which is going to eat me!"_ Nancy cried, pointing at the red eyes. But to her great astonishment, the eyes had disappeared, and she could see nothing but darkened bushes.

The woman scoffed. "Come in," she said impatiently. "I'm Mrs. Drake. I take it you are Nancy Drew?"

"That's my name, don't wear it out!" Nancy said, as she stepped inside with her luggage. "And I'm not making things up. I really _did_ see something out there."

The woman scoffed again. "People are always seeing and hearing things on the moor at night. Especially you Americans. Why don't you go up to your room? It's the one with the moon on the door."

"I get my own room? Awesome!" Nancy said. "I mean, um, I'd like to see Linda, if I could."

"I'm afraid Linda is...not quite ready to meet with you just now. But please, come see me after you've unpacked. I'll be in the conservatory."

"All right. Thank you," Nancy said. She lugged her luggage upstairs to the Bridget Penvellyn room, then collapsed on the bed, exhausted. Naturally, after her 10+ hour flight, Nancy had a horrible case of jet lag, and over the Atlantic Ocean and—

Nancy sat up after twenty seconds. "Okay, I'm all better," she said. "Time to solve the mystery of why Linda is so grumpy!"

Nancy left her room and stumbled out into the hallway. Next to her room was a circular staircase. She put her foot on the bottom step, and the staircase made a loud "WHOOP!" sound.

Nancy jumped backwards and continued down the hallway. After taking a right at the creepy-looking gargoyle, she heard angry shouting coming from behind a door.

"Oh, forget it! Some husband _you're _turning out to be!" the voice said. Nancy used her amazing detective skills to determine that, since the speaker was a grumpy female with an American accent and a newlywed husband, it must be Linda. "No, it's _not_ all in my head! Ugh, don't bother!"

There was nothing but silence after that. Nancy politely knocked on the door, then entered. The room was dark, besides for a small table with a light on it. This was next to a large bed, which had its curtains drawn.

"Whoever was inside the room just now has disappeared!" Nancy said aloud. "This could end up being a difficult mystery after all!"

"Well, well, well. If it isn't Nancy Drew, our friendly neighborhood detective," a familiar female voice said.

"Who said that?" Nancy said, whirling around. "Who are you? Where are you hiding?"

"It's me, Linda Penvellyn," Linda said. "The person you're here to, ahem, investigate? I'm in the bed."

"Oh," Nancy said. "I can't see you. Let me pull back the curtains, and—"

_"Don't touch the curtains!"_ Linda snapped. "I don't want anyone to see me!"

"Why not?" Nancy asked. "Is something wrong?"

"Heh. Is something wrong with me? I'm tired all the time, my vision is blurry, but that's doesn't matter, Nancy. Here's what's important. There are some doors which must never be opened. There are some secrets which must never be learned. That's all**—"**

Someone from outside knocked on the door. "Mummy? Can I come in?" a girl's voice said.

"No, you're supposed to be in your lessons," Linda said.

"Lessons are over. I want to meet Nancy."

"I said NO, Jane."_  
_

"Okay," Jane said sadly. Nancy could hear her footsteps as she walked away.

"Was that Mrs. Drake?" Nancy wondered.

"That was my stepdaughter, Jane. She can be such a pest sometimes," Linda said. " Anyway, I understand if you feel an obligation to my mother, but trust me, there's nothing you can do. You can stay here as long as you like, but I strongly recommend leaving as soon as possible."

"I can't go home now," Nancy said. "I just arrived here in England! I want to meet Peter Pan before going back home. Do you know where he lives?

There was no response.

"Linda?" Nancy asked.

Again, Linda didn't say anything.

"Huh, guess she fell asleep. Maybe a nap will help improve her mood."


	3. Jane and the Lady in Black

As Nancy exited Linda's room, she got a phone call from Mrs. Petrov.

"Hello, Nancy. It's Mrs. Petrov. How are things going? Have you seen Linda yet?"

"I just spoke with her," Nancy said.

"Great! Have you solved the mystery of why she's grumpy and refuses to talk to everyone?"

"No."

"Why not?"

"Because she's grumpy, and she refuses to talk to me!" Nancy said. "This could be my hardest mystery yet!"

"You can do it, Nancy. I believe in you," Mrs. Petrov said. "And I'm not paying for your flight back home until you solve the mystery."

"I've only been here ten minutes! Cut me some slack!" Nancy said. "I'm sure I'll figure out what's wrong with Linda. What did the doctors say?"

"They say she's perfectly healthy, besides for some dry skin, which is not unusual for her. But she's not acting like the daughter I know and love! Something has changed her, Nancy. Something in that house! I don't know if it's the Blackmoor Beast or what, just figure it out!"

"The Blackmoor Beast?"

"It's a local legend. People say there's a wolflike creature which protects Blackmoor Manor and keeps strangers away. When I mentioned it to Linda, she changed the subject immediately."

"Hmmm..." Nancy said. "I'll keep that in mind. Thanks for the help, Mrs. Petrov."

"Goodbye, Nancy."

Nancy hung up the phone. She didn't know much about the Blackmoor Beast, but she remembered seeing a Disney movie about a monstrous Beast who lived in a spooky castle. The Beast kidnapped the best-looking woman in town by holding her father hostage. Also, there were singing candles.

_Maybe the Beast is holding Linda's father hostage! _Nancy thought to herself.

She went to Jane's room, knocked on the door, then let herself in. Jane looked just like the picture Nancy had seen: gangly and pale, with large eyes. "Hi, you must be Nancy! I'm so glad you're here! Let's play a game!" Jane said breathlessly.

"Um...not right now. Maybe later," Nancy said. "I'd like to ask about Linda, if I could."

"Sure, what do you want to know about Mummy? She's been a bit out of sorts lately. I do hope you'll cheer her up!"

"I tried, but it didn't work," Nancy said. "Has she always acted like this?"

"No, she was fine when she moved in here," Jane said. "But she started feeling poorly after I saw...the Lady in Black."

"Who?"

"Some Lady dressed in all black snuck into the manor one night and left a note on Mummy's nightstand. That's when Mummy started feeling poorly."

_A new suspect!_ Nancy thought. "The Lady in Black is responsible for Linda's odd behavior? Who is she?"

"I couldn't see her face, because she wore a cape with a hood," Jane said. "I don't want to talk about it, though. Let's play a game!"

"Sure, what games do you have?"

"I have Go Fish!" Jane said proudly.

"..."

"..."

"Oh, gee, look at the time!" Nancy said. "Mrs. Drake said she wanted to speak with me! See you later, Jane!"


	4. The Curse

Nancy returned to Linda's room. "Linda? Jane told me about the Lady in Black."

"What Lady in Black? She never said anything to _me_ about a Lady in Black," Linda said. "That kid is so weird. I just don't get her."

"So you never received any mysterious notes on your nightstand?"

"Well...someone _did_ leave something...but it's none of your concern! What's done is done, and you can't help me!"

"Please, Linda! I can't solve this mystery without your help!" Nancy pleaded. "Was it the Blackmoor Beast? Did he kidnap your father and torture you with cheesy musical numbers until you gave in? What?"

Linda started chuckling lightly. "Nice try, but I'm not saying anything. It's too dangerous."

"Dangerous? Do you realize how many times I've almost been killed while solving mysteries?" Nancy asked. "So far, I've been attacked by ghost dogs, roller coasters, killer whales, and an angry chicken. Not to mention all the murderers, kidnappers and criminals who tried to kill me, in order to keep their secrets. I think I can handle a British mansion."

"Fine," Linda sighed. "I'll tell you what happened, but don't blame me if you get cursed!"

"Cursed?" Nancy asked.

"I was exploring a hidden passageway in the manor, when I found a plaque. There was a detailed curse written on it. I tried to laugh it off, but it was really unnerving. When I returned to my room, later that day, I found a note on my nightstand. On it was written _the exact same curse_."

"So you're feeling bad because someone cursed you," Nancy summarized. "Do you still have the piece of paper? I'd like to read it."

"I burned it and threw it away! I don't know why I'm telling you this. You can't help me!"

"Sure, I can," Nancy said. "Where's the hidden passageway? I want to see the cursed plaque."

"I won't tell you! I've already caused my own doom. I won't cause yours, too!"

"Then can you at least tell me what the curse said?" Nancy asked.

"The witch. The witch who lived here. She turned her husband into the Blackmoor Beast! She'll turn me into a monster, too! Nancy, you must escape before it's too late!"

"Linda, you're overreacting. Maybe it was just a prank."

"Prank nothing! This place is dangerous!" Linda said. "Go home, Nancy! Save yourself!"

Nancy decided it would be best if she didn't disturb Linda any further. She said goodbye and left the room quickly. _Linda's being dramatic. There's nothing creepy here which is going to pop out at me._

On the other side of the door, waiting for Nancy, was a orange-haired woman with a ponytail. Nancy jumped in surprise. "Where did you come from?!" she gasped.

The woman smiled creepily. "Hello, Nancy. I am Ethel."


	5. Ethel

"I'm Jane's tutor," Ethel said. "Jane is very excited you're visiting. You're all she's talked about for the past month."

"Really? I didn't know I had a fan club out here."

"Yes, we are very..._interested_ in what you will discover here at Blackmoor," Ethel said. "But a word of caution. Only the initiates are allowed to discover Ranulf the Red's secret."

"Ranulf the Red Nosed Reindeer?" Nancy asked.

"Keep your search focused on Linda. There is no need for you to go exploring elsewhere. Why, who knows what terrible things could happen to you, were you to venture outside the safety of these halls?"

"...Is that a threat?"

"It was a pleasure meeting you, Nancy. Our paths will cross again, I'm sure."

Ethel then used her creepy ninja powers to disappear in a flash of smoke. In reality, all she did was walk away, but Nancy wasn't really paying attention, so it _looked_ like Ethel vanished.

Nancy marched over to Jane's room and threw open the door. "Jane, you have the creepiest tutor ever!" Nancy declared.

"Miss Ethel isn't so bad," Jane said. "She's mostly just strict. And she makes me do all this _boring_ homework. I'd much rather play games all day."

"Me too," Nancy said. "So I followed up on that lead you gave me, about the Lady in Black. It turns out that she appeared right after Linda explored a hidden passageway."

"You mean the one by the East Hall?" Jane asked.

"Uh...yeah! The hidden passageway in the East Hall, which I totally know about!" Nancy said. "But, hypothetically, if I _didn't_ know about it, how would I get inside."

"You need the key, but if you want it, you'll have to play a game with me. That's the rule."

_Or I could borrow a key from one of the adults who live here_, Nancy thought. "Okay, what's your game?"

Jane pulled out a game named Bul, which Nancy played in _Nancy Drew: Secret of the Scarlet Hand_. "I got this from a neat museum in the states, with this weirdo who was always talking about aliens and diet cola. The goal of your game is land on the other player's pieces."

It took three years for Nancy to win the game, or that's what it felt like. The game didn't require her to do anything besides press the "roll" button over and over again. It wasn't very exciting.

As a reward for winning, Nancy got the key to the East Hall. "It's not a very interesting secret passageway. You're going to be totally bored," Jane said. "Wouldn't you rather play a game with me instead?"

_Oh, I'm not falling for that_ again! Nancy decided.

Out of spite, Nancy stole a book from Jane's room. The book was entitled Lycanthropes and You: What To Do When Someone You're Investigating Is Turning Into a Centuries Old Werewolf. Nancy put the book in her bag, and she promptly forgot about it.

After that, Nancy walked over the East Hall. As she rounded the corner, a voice cried out, "We're going to hurt you, Nancy Drew!"


	6. Hidden Passageway 1

Nancy fell over in fright and started crying to herself for nine minutes, until she got the strength to get back up again. That's when she learned the mysterious voice...

...was a parrot.

"Hahahahahah!" the parrot said. "Scared you, scared you!"

"That wasn't very nice, Mrs. Parrot!"

"My name is Loulou! Loulou! LOULOU LOULOU LOULOU LOULOU!"

"Okay, I get it! Your name is Loulou!"

"Loulou. Loulou."

"So, Lou, can you help me solve this mystery?" Nancy asked.

"NOT LOU! Loulou! LOULOU! Loooooulooooou!"

Nancy scoffed. "I'll just solve this mystery on my own," she said, sounding way too confident for someone who had no idea what she was doing.

The door to the East Hall had a fancy plaque on it. Nancy examined it, then opened the door. The room itself was rather empty, besides for a gargoyle statue, a hat rack, a framed photograph of Mrs. Drake and her brother meeting the Queen, and a dragon.

"Yay, dragon!" Nancy said. She played around with the dragon statuette, and to her surprise, the hands moved. Nancy instantly recognized this as a puzzle, in which she had to position the hands to match the plaque on the door.

Nah, I'm just kidding. Nancy played around with the dragon for about twenty seconds, and she stumbled on the solution by pure luck. The dragon growled, and the back wall of the room ascended into the ceiling, revealing a dark passageway.

Nancy walked to the edge of the passageway and looked inside. "Hmmm...it's too dark for me to go exploring," she said. "I'm going to need a flashlight."

Nancy turned to leave, but she tripped over her untied shoelaces and fell sideways into the passageway. She tried getting back up, but she tripped again and fell down three sets of stairs. When she opened her eyes again, Nancy found herself in complete darkness.

"No! How will I escape?!" Nancy said. "I'm going to be trapped in this dark, bottomless pit FOREVER!"

Dramatic music played after this dire proclamation.

"Oh, wait, I have a cell phone," Nancy said, pulling the device out of her pocket. She used the glow from the screen as a sort-of flashlight, and it let her see the stairs that led to the exit. More importantly, Nancy say a plaque.

It wasn't the plaque she was looking for, sadly. Instead of a curse, this plaque had a picture of Loulou on it, with the word "barber" on top. At the bottom were some movable tiles, which allowed her to enter her own word.

Nancy left the hidden passageway, walking very carefully up the stairs. When she was back in the hallway, she found Loulou. "Hey, Loulou! What does the word 'barber' mean?"

"Get a dictionary! Dictionary! *squawk*"

"No, I mean...the hidden passageway has some sort of word thing with your picture on it," Nancy said. "It's currently set to 'barber'."

"Loulou's magic word game! Loulou's magic word game!"

"Aha!" Nancy said. "How do I play the magic word game?"

"Tell Loulou the magic word."

"...Please?"

"Nope! That is incorrect! Loulou want magic word. Magic word, magic word! A deal's a deal."

Nancy sighed. She was used to being bossed around by other people, but being bossed around by a _parrot?_ This was a new low for her. "All right, I'll try to find your magic word..."


	7. Talking to Linda

Nancy headed down the hallway and walked into Linda's room. "Hey, hey!" Nancy said. "Awesome Detective here!"

Linda didn't say anything.

"I checked out that hidden passageway you mentioned," Nancy said. "I didn't see a cursed plaque, though. All I saw was a parrot plaque."

"What?" Linda asked. "How can you call yourself a detective? It was right there, waiting to be found! Wanting to be found! It _needed_ someone to find it!"

"Are we talking about the plaque, or my friend George? I know she's been looking for a boyfriend for a while now, but that doesn't have anything to do with this case."

"I'm doomed! Doomed!" Linda said. "I knew that curse was from the witch, and here's proof! The plaque disappeared as soon as I left the passageway!"

"Calm down," Nancy said. "It was dark in the dragon passageway, and I didn't have a flashlight. Maybe I missed the curse?"

"Dragon passageway?"

"Yeah, you know, the passageway behind the burping dragon in the East Hall," Nancy said.

Linda breathed a sigh of relief. "I was talking about the hidden passageway behind the gargoyle."

"So there are multiple hidden passageways," Nancy deduced. "Perfect. When am I going to solve a mystery in a place which is _not_ an architect's playhouse?"

"The witch built the passageways, so she could escape in case soldiers attacked," Linda said. "Don't you see? This house is designed to get rid of outsiders. Outsiders like you and me!"

"How do I get inside this passageway?" Nancy asked.

"You move the gargoyle around. I don't know the pattern. I was just fiddling with it, and I came across the solution by accident."

"Hmmm...I bet I can figure out how the puzzle works," Nancy said. "Do you have a flashlight I can use in these hidden passageways?"

"No," Linda said. "I never leave my bed. Why would I need a flashlight?"

"Yeah, about that," Nancy said. "Why don't you leave your bed? I think you need to get some exercise."

"I have been cursed, and I'm turning into a monster! I have to stay far away from other people! It's for their own good! ...And mine."

"You're really starting to worry your husband and mother," Nancy said. "But don't worry, Linda! I'll find this plaque thingy and _prove_ that there's no curse! Then you'll be free to leave your room again!"

"I wish you luck," Linda said.


	8. Nigel!

Nancy left Linda's room and examined the gargoyle in the corner. She could move it left and right, by 90 degrees. After trying out a few patterns, Nancy decided there had to be a clue for the puzzle somewhere.

Nancy decided to ask Loulou for more information, when she made an amazing discovery.

"Whoa!" Nancy said. "There's a _downstairs_ part to the manor!"

Nancy slid down the banister and examined the lower floor. It had six ornate pillars, a maze design on the floor, and a lot of portraits. One of them instantly caught Nancy's eye.

"Ha ha, look at the guy with the funny hat!" she said.

Nancy then noticed a portrait of a man standing by the upstairs gargoyle. This was the only portrait without a coat of arms. Nancy figured this was some sort of clue, but she didn't know what it meant. She decided to ask someone for more information.

There were four doors in the downstairs area, not including the front door to the manor. Nancy went through the one on the right, and she found herself in a library. A dark-skinned man sat at a desk, typing madly.

"Ah, are you from the agency?" he asked. "It's about time."

"Agency? What?"

"Oh, dear, you're not here to help me," the man said. He adjusted his glasses as he turned his focus from the computer to Nancy. "How do you do, I'm Nigel Mookerjee?"

"I'm Nancy Drew. I'm a detective who is here to investigate what's wrong with Linda."

"I'm a historian, researching the Penvellyn family history for a new book I'm writing. Mrs. Drake has graciously opened up the library for me. Not much has been written about the Penvellyns, until now."

"Oh, neat," Nancy said. "I had some questions about the Pennyvennys. For starters, what's up with the weather forecaster person?"

"I'm sorry, to whom are you referring?"

"You know, the guy who always predicted when it would rain," Nancy said. "My parents used to sing to me about him, when I was younger. Ranulf the Red knows rain, dear."

"Ranulf the Red is the family's progenitor," Nigel said. "It is rumored that he had a magic meteorite, which allowed him to win every battle he fought. The government granted him this land, in recognition of his military accomplishments."

"And what about the witch lady?"

"You must be referring to Elinor Penvellyn, who was burned at the stake in 1650."

"Did she really leave _the Curse of Blackmoor Manor_?"

"Ha ha, no!" Nigel said. "Most historians agree that her death was ordered by Cromwell for political reasons."

Nancy smiled. She knew Linda wasn't really cursed. "So she _didn't _turn anyone into a werewolf."

"That is still unclear," Nigel said. "After her husband disappeared, a large beast was seen prowling the moor at night, and she forbade anyone from hunting it. Some say it was her husband, whom she cursed for finding out too much about the Penvellyn family secret. Others say her husband was in France at the time. I doubt we'll ever learn the truth."

"I have one last question," Nancy said, not wanting to waste Nigel's time. "Who is the person in great hall with the gargoyle?"

"That would be Corbin Penvellyn, Elinor's grandson. It is rumored that he returned to Blackmoor, so he could secretly continue her experiments in the mystical arts."

"Why doesn't he have a coat of arms?"

"He does. It's in France," Nigel said. "I can get you a copy of it, _if_ you help me out."

Nancy frowned. It sounded like she was going to be forced to do someone else's chores again. "Sure, what do you want?"

"I'm in dire need of a typist," Nigel said. "I wrote out my memoirs by hand, and I need to have them entered into the computer, so I can send it to publishers."

"That doesn't sound so bad," Nancy said.

Nigel pulled out a stack of 400 pieces of paper. "Fantastic! You can start now!"


	9. The Creepy Ritual

Nigel's memoirs were the most boring thing Nancy had ever read. At least a third of it was dedicated to the weather, and the middle contained a 20-page digression about the texture of pudding.

When Nancy finally finished with her job, she found a note from Nigel, thanking her for her work. Attached to it was a photograph of Corbin's coat of arms, which had marks on the right and left.

_Those indicate the directions I have to turn the gargoyle,_ Nancy immediately realized.

Nancy's body suddenly made it known to her that it was well past midnight. Yawning, she got up and opened the library doors.

She stumbled upon an incredibly strange scene. The manor was darkened, with the only light source coming from a candle in Ethel's hand. Ethel was standing behind Jane, and the two of them were walking down the stairs.

Nancy hid behind a pillar to watch. Jane and Ethel were wearing elaborate jewelry, and they slowly chanted, "No key without toil. No fire without oil."

They stopped at the center of the room, and Jane said, "My actions ensure that my name will endure...to the end..."

Jane's hands moved, and Nancy could see she was pouring some sort of liquid on the ground. "Penvellyn," Jane whispered. Ethel looked on, smiling.

The two of them then returned to Jane's room, chatting happily as they did so.

"That was the freakiest thing I've ever seen," Nancy said. She checked her phone to see that it was 3:15 AM. When she walked forward, she saw that there was a drain in the middle of the floor she hadn't noticed before. Nancy sniffed; it smelled like the liquid Jane poured into the drain was oil.

"In the middle of the night, Ethel and Jane dress up and start chanting, so they can pour oil down a drain," Nancy said. "Forget solving the mystery of Linda being sick and grumpy, _this_ is the real mystery at Blackmoor Manor!"

Nancy went upstairs to confront Jane and Ethel, but the two of them had disappeared. Confused and tired, Nancy went to her room and fell asleep.

The next day, Jane's room was locked because she was in lessons, so Nancy couldn't get inside. She decided to investigate the gargoyle instead. She spun it according to the directions on Corbin's coat of arms, and a huge section of the wall retracted.

"Whoa!" Nancy said. "Pretty complex technology for a guy who lived in the 1600's!"

She stepped into the newly-opened area, which was a little dark. She used her phone to light up the area. Along the right wall was a peephole. Nancy peered inside, and it showed her Linda's room. Specifically, it gave a view of Linda's desk.

_Kind of a pointless peephole_, Nancy thought.

That's when Linda's hairy hand came into view and picked up her bottle of skin moisturizer. Nancy gave a small scream. Linda was coarse and hairy like a werewolf!

Backing away from the peephole, Nancy saw that the only other part of the room was a plaque on the door to the left. The plaque said that something bad would happen to the curious wanderer who was not clever enough to solve the riddle.

"Linda didn't tell me about any riddle," Nancy said to herself.

The riddle was simple enough: Nancy had to spell out Elinor's name in runes, using the tiles below the plaque. The problem was that Nancy didn't know anything about runes. She took a few pictures of the available tiles with her phone's camera, then she left the hidden room.


	10. Runes

Nancy vaguely recalled seeing runes on the study guide in Jane's room, so she knocked on the door there.

"We're in lessons right now!" Ethel called.

"I need to borrow Jane's book on runes."

"You can get it when the lessons are over."

"You have time to do freaky rituals at 3:15 in the morning, but you don't have time to loan me a book?" Nancy said in her sassiest voice. There was a moment of tense silence after this, then the door opened slightly. Nancy smirked in victory.

Ethel threw the book directly at Nancy's head, then slammed the door in her face. Nancy fell over when the book smashed into her eyeball.

"Ow!" Nancy said. "Thanks for the book, but be more gentle next time!"

Nancy picked up the book and flipped to the section on letters. She took it to the hidden gargoyle passageway and spelled out the name "Elinor". This caused a doorway to open on the wall opposite of Linda's room.

"There's a hidden passageway in the hidden passageway?" Nancy wondered. She wandered through the doorway and soon found herself falling down several flights of stairs.

"Ow ow ow!" Nancy cried.

Figuring she was underneath the house now, she got off of the ground and explored. The hallway had smooth blank walls, probably because no one ever visited this part of the manor. Nancy marveled at how clean and dust-free the ancient passageways were, when she came to a dead end.

"Huh."

In the corner of the wall was a metal plate with a triangle on the cover. She opened the cover to see a series of six triangles. She fiddled around with them until they were all facing upwards, like the triangle on the cover.

When she was done...nothing happened.

"This is boring," she said. She turned around and climbed the stairs, only falling twice along the way. Soon, she was back inside the well-lit hallways of Blackmoor Manor. Nancy stood up straight. She was finally ready to...to...

What was she supposed to do, again?

Nancy opened up her task list and started checking off the things she had already done. She stopped when she saw the first item on the list, "Check in with Mrs. Drake once I unpack."

"Oh, jeez, I was supposed to meet with Mrs. Drake when I first arrived!" Nancy said. She stuffed her notebook into her purse and ran down to the bottom floor of Blackmoor Manor. She tried the wrong door, before finding the door to the conservatory.

Nancy was impressed by the change of scenery. The conservatory was humid and full of plants. It was well-lit, and as Nancy walked down the stairs, she saw an admirable concrete pond with a fancy frog tile decoration above it. On the far end of the room, away from the stairs, Mrs. Drake was watering plants.

"Hey, Mrs. Drake!" Nancy said.

"All settled in? Good. I know how much you teenagers love your televisions and loud stereos, so I must insist that you act civilly and _quietly_ while you are visiting Linda. Jane is having her lessons, and she mustn't be disturbed," Mrs. Drake lectured.

"Got it. Anything else I should know?"

"The kitchen is being remodeled, so if you wish to eat something, you will have to order it from the a local pub. The phone line has been set up in your room. Feel free to order whatever you'd like."

"Ooo, great, I haven't eaten anything in over two days," Nancy said.

Mrs. Drake looked at her strangely.


	11. Talking to Mrs Drake

Nancy Drew was talking to Mrs. Drake.

"So, what do _you_ think is wrong with Linda?"

"I don't know, and the doctors don't know. Nobody seems to know anything!" Mrs. Drake said with a hint of frustration in her voice. "All I know is that Linda is unwell, and I am to look after the manor in her stead."

"Actually, I was trying ask if...this is kind of a weird question...has she _always_ had super-hairy arms?"

"No, of course not," Mrs. Drake said. "Why? Is there a problem with her arms? Did you see her behind the curtain?"

"I only saw her hand, and it was covered with hair! Like...a werewolf."

"Tut tut!" Mrs. Drake clicked with her mouth. "_Please_ don't tell me that you are falling for that ridiculous old story about the Blackmoor Beast. I know you thought you saw something when you arrived, but I can assure you that Linda is not a lycanthrope."

Nancy had no response, because she had no idea what lycanthropy was. Instead of speaking, Nancy felt her upper lip, in order to confirm that the manor did not cause its residents to start growing hair spontaneously.

"Okay, I don't have a mustache," Nancy said. "That means Linda's not a werewolf."

"Excuse me?" Mrs. Drake asked.

"You're excused," Nancy said. "But I have a question about Loulou the parrot. Do you know her magic word?"

"Magic word? Oh, yes," Mrs. Drake said. "You see, my brother and father used to play a word game with Loulou. I never understood how it was played, but sometimes she'd grow sullen and refuse to play the game anymore until they told her that...let's see...what was it again? It's on the the tip of my tongue...Ah. They'd have to tell her that 'Loulou is very, very clever and beautiful bird'."

"Great, thanks," Nancy said. "There's one more thing I want to talk about, though. Ethel and Jane are dressing up in weird costumes and doing chant rituals at 3:15 in the morning, in order to pour oil in the hole in the floor. You know about this, right?"

Mrs. Drake threw Nancy out of the conservatory twenty seconds later.


	12. Eight Hours Later

_Eight Hours Later..._

Nancy made it through the maze.


	13. The Penvellyn Family Forge

At the other end of the maze was a locked door. A chemistry puzzle was built into the door, and at the top was a symbol of a snake eating its own tail.

"Hmmm..." Nancy said. "A snake eating its tail. I should find out what this means before solving the puzzle. Maybe Nigel knows about it?"

Nancy paused for a moment, then reconsidered.

"Oh, _no way_ am I going back through that maze again, just to talk to Nigel," she decided. She pulled out her phone and did an Internet search, which revealed that the symbols on the door all dealt with alchemy. She reconstructed the formulas according to the website, and the door opened to reveal the Hidden Penvellyn Forge.

Nancy knew this was the name of the room, because right next to the door was a small table with a homemade book entitled The Hidden Penvellyn Forge and You, by Alan Penvellyn. Intrigued, Nancy picked it up and began reading.

_Hello, Jane! It's your Grandpa Alan! This is the big secret I was talking about! This room contains the treasure that our family's founder, Ranulf the Red, discovered oh so long ago! But before you can access it, there are a number of puzzles you have to solve first! Turn the page to learn more!_

_If, for some reason, you are not a member of the Pennvellyn Family, please turn to page 87._

Nancy turned to page 87.

_Interloper! How dare you trespass on the Penvellyn Family Secrets? I am going to put the Curse of Blackmoor Manor on you now! Soon, you will become a werewolf! The only way to avoid this fate is to leave immediately and never tell anyone about it!_

_If you believe in the Curse of Blackmoor Manor, turn to the last page of the book.  
If not, turn to page 88._

Nancy turned to the last page of the book.

_The End._

"Ugh, that's a bad ending!" Nancy said. She went back a step and went to page 88.

_Okay, fine, you win. There's no such thing as the Curse of Blackmoor Manor. Our ancestor Elinor was not a witch. She was actually an alchemist. In fact, the alchemy puzzle on the door to this room was constructed by Elinor, centuries ago. __People just made the wrong assumptions when she was secretly bringing in strange ingredients from all over the continent._

_The room you're standing in is the Hidden Penvellyn Forge. The first Pennvellyn, Ranulf the Red, hid his treasure inside this room to protect it. His grandchild, Milo, found the room and made a special lock to protect the treasure. His grandson found the room and crafted a puzzle to protect it. His grandson also found the room and crafted a puzzle to protect it._

_You get the idea. Every other generation, a Penvellyn discovers this room and crafts a puzzle to protect Ranulf's treasure. I was the twelfth Penvellyn to enter this room since the 1300's. I made two separate puzzles to protect the treasure: one on my computer in the library, and one involving my beloved pet parrot, Loulou._

_Unfortunately, there is the small chance that the puzzles I created will become obsolete, if Loulou dies or if someone decides to replace my newest-model 1990 computer. In fact, if there is a non-Penvellyn reading this, that is probably what has happened. I do hope my granddaughter Jane will discover this room, but she is only six months old right now. Who knows what the future will hold for her?_

_Dear reader, if there are any Penvellyns still alive, I beg you to take this book to them, so that they may discover the family secrets._

_If the line has died out, then...I assign you with the task of solving the puzzles and retrieving Ranulf's treasure. The truth about our family should not remain lost to history._

_Yours sincerely,  
Alan Penvellyn_

_PS. Skip to page 10 for a description of all the various puzzles._


	14. Alan's Computer Password

Nancy decided to tackle all of the puzzles in alphabetical order, because hey, why not? First on the list was Alan Penvellyn, who set up a puzzle on his computer in the library.

Nancy headed all the way to the library. Nigel was inside, typing furiously on his computer.

"Hey, Nigel," Nancy said. "Are you working on your memoirs?"

"No, I'm doing a typing program," Nigel said. "I hope to get my words-per-minute counter up by at least 10%. It's my New Years Resolution!"

"Erm...it's good to have goals," Nancy said. "I'm looking for Alan Penbellino's computer. Is it in here?"

"It's in the back," Nigel said, gesturing towards the rear of the library.

Nancy thanked Nigel and went to the computer. It was on a table, under a large mask. Nancy moved the mouse around, and the screen came to life.

_Welcome, Alan! Password?_

"What's the password for the computer?" Nancy asked.

"I have no idea," Nigel called from the other side of the library. "I'm a historian. Modern people aren't really my bag, you know? I prefer my humanity to be more aged. Anyone under a century old is not interesting to me!"

_He must not go on a lot of dates_, Nancy decided.

Nancy left the library and thought for a moment. If she wanted to learn the computer password, she would have to ask Jane, Linda, Mrs. Drake or Loulou. Nancy decided to talk to them in alphabetical order, because hey, why not? She went upstairs to Jane's room and knocked on the door.

"Who is it?" Jane called.

"It's Nancy," Nancy said.

"Please, come in!" Jane said.

Nancy entered the room and inquired about the password to Alan's computer. Jane grinned widely.

"I know the password, but if you want me to tell it to you, you have to play a game with me, first."

Nancy groaned. "Which game?"

Jane pulled out twenty cards and put them on the floor. "This is a matching game. You need to find all the matches, but if you make more than ten mistakes, you have to start over."

Nancy didn't do very well with the matching game, until she got an idea. Pointing at a picture on Jane's desk, Nancy asked, "Whoa! You had a gerbil?"

Jane turned to look at the picture. "Yes, its name was Freddy. It died about a year ago."

While Jane was talking, Nancy quickly flipped over the cards and looked at them. She flipped them back over, by the time Jane refocused her attention on the game. After that bit of cheating, Nancy had a much easier time winning the game.

"You did it!" Jane said. "Okay, the password on the computer is on Alan's coat of arms, plain as day. But there's nothing on the computer that's very interesting. If you're looking for something to do, you should play a game with me instead!"

"Maybe later," Nancy said. "I'm all 'gamed out' right now. Which coat of arms is Alan's again?"

"The one with Loulou on it," Jane said.

Nancy made her way downstairs and found the correct coat of arms, which read _Purgamentum exit_. She went to Alan's computer and used that as the password. Thankfully, the computer accepted it.

_Welcome again, Alan! Are you ready to go on a ghost hunt? Yes/No._

Nancy clicked on yes.

_Sorry, my watch tells me that it's currently daytime! The ghosts only come out after midnight. Please return later!_

"Well, there is clearly nothing else I can do which is worthwhile," Nancy decided. So she went upstairs and slept until midnight.


	15. The Ghost Hunt

Nancy woke up at midnight, and she went downstairs. She was slightly impressed that all the lights in Blackmoor Manor were still on at full power; it must cost a lot of money to keep the manor running all the time.

In the library, Nancy logged onto the computer again. This time, it accepted her request to go on a ghost hunt. The instructions appeared onscreen.

_Don't tel my sister, but there are ghosts in Blackmoor! Thirteen of them, to be exact. The problem is that they're very shy, so they only appear in quiet places, like the library, the conservatory and the great hall. What's worse, they'll only appear for a limited amount of time. But if you can find and touch all thirteen ghosts in the time you're allotted, I'll give you a prize, one that I guarantee you'll enjoy!_

A timer appeared onscreen below this message. She tripped over herself, in her haste to start searching. She found a grand total of three ghosts, before the timer ran out.

This was the first of many attempts to find all the ghosts. First, Nancy found all the ghosts in the library. She reset the puzzle, then found all the ghosts in the Great Hall. She reset the puzzle again, then found all the ghosts in the hallway.

Then she took a bathroom break and lost count of the ghosts she had found, so she started over. Eventually, Nancy found twelve ghosts.

"WHERE IS GHOST NUMBER THIRTEEN?" Nancy shouted, in a very quiet voice that didn't wake anyone up.

She soon noticed an odd spiral staircase, in between her room and Jane's. Nancy walked up the stairs.

*WHOOP!*

*BWAAAA!*

*DING!*

The stairs made weird sound effects as Nancy climbed up them. The stairs led to a dead end, containing ghost number thirteen. Nancy quickly pressed it.

Below the ghosts were a series of levers. Nancy pulled them, and they made weird sound effects, just like the stairs. Realizing this was another Penvellyn puzzle, Nancy tried duplicating the order of the sound effects. After some trial and error, she solved the puzzle and received a key.

"Hooray!" Nancy said. "It's a key to...somewhere!"

Nancy slipped the key in her pocket and returned downstairs to Alan's computer. It had a special message waiting for her.

_Congratulations! You're one of the few people who have seen all thirteen ghosts of Blackmoor Manor! Now for your reward. In the East Hall, there is a lever disguised as a hat rack. Pull on it, then enjoy!_

Nancy complained for a while about how the Penvellyns were forcing her to tramp all over their manor in the dead of night, before going to the East Hall. When she pulled the lever, a large section of the wall retracted, revealing a slide. Nancy sat herself down and started sliding.

"WHEE!" Nancy cheered as the slide spun around. On the wall, Nancy could see a strange-looking target. Before she had time to register this, the slide ended. She found herself downstairs, having exited through a hidden cache behind a statue.

"I'm doing that again!" Nancy said.

She ran upstairs and used the slide again. This time, instead of sitting down, she stood up on the slide. It was hard to keep her balance, and she almost fell over three times, but that way, she was able to punch the target. She heard a clanging sound, before she smashed her head against the wall.

Nancy immediately fell unconscious. Her last thought was about how standing up on a slide which ends in a tunnel is not a good idea.

When Nancy awoke seven hours later, she was on the floor of the Great Hall. A tiny watch piece was on the ground beside her. Standing over her, with an angry look on her face, was Ethel Bossiny.


End file.
